special needs

plural noun

: any of various difficulties (such as a physical, emotional, behavioral, or learning disability or impairment) that causes an individual to require additional or specialized services or accommodations (such as in education or recreation)

students with special needs

special-needs adjective

or special needs

special-needs children

a special needs teacher

Examples of special needs in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

No one had any of the specialty brands made for premature infants like ours or for babies with other special needs, such as those who were lactose intolerant, those with acid reflux, or infants with other special dietary needs. —Martha Gershun and Rosa Delauro, STAT, 2 May 2024

Our youngest children are 13-year-old twins, one of whom is autistic/special needs. —Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 1 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

special needs

noun plural

: the individual requirements (as for education) of a person with a disadvantaged background or a mental, emotional, or physical disability or a high risk of developing one

Some urban homeschooled kids, particularly those with special needs, were previously enrolled in school but not served well there.

—Linda Perlstein, Newsweek

special-needs adjective

special-needs students